AT&T and Verizon delay 5G service near some airports

Verizon and AT&T said on Tuesday that they would delay the expansion of new 5G cellular service near some airports, a pause that President Biden said would avert potentially devastating disruptions that airlines had been warning about for months. The broader expansion of 5G — which provides much faster access to the internet than current wireless technology — is set for Wednesday after multiple delays. Aviation regulators and airlines repeatedly raised concerns that the new technology would interfere with safety equipment used to determine a plane’s altitude. The telecommunications industry has countered that regulators and airlines have had years to prepare for 5G. It was not immediately clear whether the changes that AT&T and Verizon announced midday were enough to prevent severe flight disruptions on Wednesday. A few foreign carriers canceled flights to the United States, while Delta Air Lines said it was preparing for possible disruptions should bad weather trigger some flight restrictions still in place for the 5G rollout. Other major U.S. airlines and an industry trade group said late in the day that they were still trying to understand the details of the delay. Wireless companies and Biden did not say how long the pause would last. The FAA, which oversees flight safety, said in early January that it had reached a deal with AT&T and Verizon that included delaying the start of the new 5G service by two weeks and adding safeguards around airports. But that agreement appeared to be insufficient when airline executives sent a letter to the administration on Monday claiming that the start of the service could cause such huge problems that the “nation’s commerce will grind to a halt.” Biden echoed those warnings. More than 90 percent of the planned 5G expansion will proceed as scheduled, and federal officials will continue to work with those carriers, airlines and aviation manufacturers to find a “permanent, workable solution,” he added.<br/>